Lucky

Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of my 28th birthday. I got up early for a walk and listened to the robins chirping and the idiot woodpeckers drilling away on the tin chimney-tops. At church, I attended to fifteen wet-combed kindergartners in Sunday School and then met friends for chocolate cupcakes and coffee.  Though I drilled my knee and wrist in the family soccer game that ensued in early afternoon, and my childhood team (Michigan) lost to Kentucky in NCAA basketball, it was a heavenly day. After well-wishes, cards, phone calls, emails and facebook greetings, I realized how blessed I am to know you all, to be connected to you in a constellation of ways.

Perhaps the most important connection I made was with my husband, who escorted me to a fabulous dinner at RootDown in Denver. We chatted and ate at a leisurely pace over a two-hour meal and the crowning glory was that we had 120 minutes of things to talk about, apart from the children! I am still surprised and challenged and intrigued by the possibilities we share, and gratified that our core values are still intact. For this year, I resolve to put more dinners on the calendar, though our waistlines and wallets might appreciate a less sensational dining experience. For now, I am lucky, and I am thankful.